Cars and Drivers

Mercedes Unveils Redesigned GLC Crossover Coupe

Paul Ausick

Published: March 20, 2019 8:10 am

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 9:49 am

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz division is prepping for next month’s New York Auto Show with an announcement of a redesigned version of the company’s luxury compact crossover coupe, the GLC. The company said the 2020 GLC will be available to U.S. customers late this year.

Pricing information was not announced, but the current lineup of eight 2019 GLC crossover models carry starting prices between $40,700 and $74,100.

Perhaps the biggest change is a new turbocharged four-cylinder, 2.0-liter engine for the base GLC model. The new engine develops 255 horsepower, 14 more than the current version. Fuel economy for the current turbo is 24 miles per gallon, combined city-highway driving. No fuel economy spec has yet been released for the new model. The GLC coupe includes standard all-wheel drive (AWD).

The GLC competes in the luxury compact crossover market with the BMW X3 and X4 crossovers (starting prices of $41,000 and $50,450, respectively) and the Audi Q5 ($42,950).

The new GLC includes the latest version of the Mercedes infotainment system that can be controlled from the touch screen display, buttons on the steering wheel, a center-mounted console touchpad, gesture recognition or voice commands prefixed by “Hey Mercedes.”

The 2020 GLC coupe’s styling changes include a revised front grille with new headlights, along with redesigned tail lights and other minor changes to the rear deck.

According to CarSalesBase.com, the GLC models sold nearly 70,000 copies last year in the United States, while Audi’s Q5 also sold 70,000 units and BMW’s X3 sold more than 61,000 units. The more costly BMW X4 sold 4,323 units in 2018.